Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when asked on Saturday if he would invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit in Canada next year, seemed to dodge the question, focusing instead on the upcoming G7 presidency and the importance of collaboration. He stated, “I appreciate the keenness with which the Canadians look forward to the next year’s G7.” He further added, “However, Italy continues to be the president of this G7 for the rest of this year and I look forward to working with Prime Minister Meloni and all my G7 partners on the broad range of issues we have talked about…” This response came shortly after Canada announced that the next G7 Leaders’ Summit will be hosted in Kananaskis, Alberta, in 2025.
Trudeau’s statement follows his meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy on Friday, a meeting that marked the first interaction between the two leaders since a diplomatic row erupted last year over allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
When pressed about the diplomatic relations between India and Canada, particularly concerning the alleged killing of Nijjar, Trudeau acknowledged the commitment to work together with India on critical issues. “I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues.” He refused to provide further details, reiterating, “Like I said, I am not going to get into it further, but there are important issues that we need to work on, and we will.”
Addressing his meeting with Prime Minister Modi at the G7 Summit in Italy, Trudeau stated, “There’s a clear understanding that we need to continue to engage across and around the world with various partners, even as we highlight challenges and stand up to the rule of law and the principles that drive G7. We need to engage with a range of partners and that’s exactly what we did in the outreach session yesterday.”
This cautious approach by Trudeau reflects the strained state of India-Canada relations. The allegations made by Canada last year, which accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist in Canada, were strongly refuted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs as “absurd and motivated.”
The recent meeting between the two leaders, while characterized as a brief discussion on the bilateral relationship, has not provided any significant indication of a thaw in the relationship. Trudeau’s refusal to explicitly address the invitation to the G7 Summit, combined with his reluctance to delve into the details of the investigation into Nijjar’s death, further highlights the ongoing complexities in the relationship.
